When placed in position to be shot by a bow, the shaft of the arrow is preferably vertically supported and horizontally steadied, as the arrow is drawn with the pull on the bow-string. That same support is desired following release of the bow string by the archer to stabilize the arrow as it leaves the bow on its flight. The supporting device is usually referred to as the arrow rest. The prior art has seen many variations of arrow rests, which go from a simple lip or notch formed in one side of the handle, or central portion, of the bow to the more elegant rests of the modern compound bows. The currently fashionable design for an arrow rest comprises a pair of opposed, spaced apart pointed tongs mounted on a rotatable and laterally slidable shaft. The shaft of the arrow rests on the two distal ends of the tongs. One of the three feathers on the end of the arrow passes between the tongs when the arrow is launched. The position of the opposing tong points can be moderately changed by adjusting the position of the mounting shaft. While it offers little resistance to the arrow by way of friction on the arrow shaft, the primary problem with an arrow rest of this design is its inability to maintain the arrow in position except when the bow is held vertically and not bumped or jarred. When the bow is tipped sideways or bumped there is nothing to hold the arrow shaft on the two prongs of the arrow rest. The arrow falls from its support and shots are missed.
Another type of arrow support is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,375 to George D. Brougham. This earlier Brougham arrow rest appears to provide better support for the arrow than do those being currently sold and used, however, Brougham's device still suffers from the disadvantage of having the arrow fall off of the rest. It would also appear to create more resistance to the flight of the arrow through the friction produced by the greater area of contact between the parts of the arrow rest and the shaft of the arrow.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a stabilized platform for an arrow that will not allow the arrow shaft to easily fall off of the support and that will provide minimum surface contact between the support and the arrow shaft to reduce friction.
A further object of the invention is to provide an arrow rest wherein the rest will accommodate arrow shafts of different diameters with only a minimum adjustment of the structure.
Another object of the invention is to combine the working structure of the arrow support with a guard to protect the hand of the archer from being injured by the razor sharp edges of a broadhead fitted arrow.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description of a preferred form of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.